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imparts; and it is the being of things that are and the life of living things and the reason of rational beings and the intelligence of intellectual beings, it being beyond mind and beyond reason and beyond life and beyond substance. Further, it passes through all things without mingling, but nothing passes through it. Further, it knows all things with a simple knowledge and sees all things simply with its divine and all-seeing and immaterial eye, things present, past, and future, before their coming into being. It is sinless and forgives sins and saves; and it can do all that it wills, but it does not will all that it can; for it can destroy the world, but it does not will to.

15 On the age He made the ages, who exists before the ages,

concerning whom the divine David says: "From everlasting you are," and the divine apostle: "through whom he also made the ages." One must know, therefore, that the name "age" has many meanings, for it signifies many things; for the life of each person is also called an "age." Again, the period of a thousand years is called an "age." Again, the whole present life is called an "age," and the future, unending age after the resurrection is called an "age." Again, an "age" is called not time, nor any part of time measured by the sun's motion and course, that is, consisting of days and nights, but that which is coextensive with eternal things, a sort of temporal movement and interval; for what time is to things under time, the "age" is to eternal things. There are said to be, then, seven ages of this world, that is, from the creation of heaven and earth until the common consummation and resurrection of humankind. For there is a partial consummation, which is the death of each individual; and there is a common and complete consummation, when the common resurrection of humankind is to take place. And the eighth age is the one to come. But before the constitution of the world, when there was no sun dividing day from night, there was not a measurable age, but that which is coextensive with eternal things, a sort of temporal movement and interval; and according to this, there is one age, for which reason God is called eternal, but also pre-eternal. For He Himself made the age itself; for God, being alone without beginning, is Himself the maker of all things, both of the ages and of all beings. And when I say God, it is clear that I mean the Father and His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His all-holy Spirit, our one God. And ages of ages are spoken of, because the seven ages of the present world contain many ages, that is, lives of men, and the one age is comprehensive of all the ages. And the present and the future are called the age of an age. And eternal life and eternal punishment signify the unendingness of the future. For after the resurrection, time will not be counted by days and nights; but rather there will be one unsetting day, with the Sun of righteousness shining brightly upon the just, but for sinners a deep and endless night. How then will the time of a thousand years of the Origenistic restoration be numbered? Therefore, of all the ages there is one maker, God, who also created all things, who exists before the ages.

16 On Creation Since, therefore, the good and supremely good God was not content with

the contemplation of Himself, but by an excess of goodness willed that there should be some things to receive His benefits and to partake of His goodness, He brings all things from non-being into being and creates them, both invisible and visible, and man, composed of visible and invisible. He creates by thinking, and the thought becomes a deed, being completed by the Word and perfected by the Spirit.

17 On Angels He is the maker and creator of the angels, from non-

being bringing them into being, creating them a nature according to His own image

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μεταδίδωσι· καὶ αὐτή ἐστι τῶν ὄντων τὸ εἶναι καὶ τῶν ζώντων ἡ ζωὴ καὶ τῶν λογικῶς ὄντων ὁ λόγος καὶ τῶν νοερῶς ὄντων ἡ νόησις, αὐτὴ ὑπὲρ νοῦν οὖσα καὶ ὑπὲρ λόγον καὶ ὑπὲρ ζωὴν καὶ ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ διὰ πάντων διήκειν ἀμιγῶς, δι' αὑτῆς δὲ οὐδέν. Ἔτι καὶ τὸ ἁπλῇ γνώσει γινώσκειν τὰ πάντα καὶ πάντα τῷ θείῳ καὶ παντεποπτικῷ καὶ ἀύλῳ αὐτῆς ὄμματι ἁπλῶς καθορᾶν, τά τε ἐνεστῶτα τά τε παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν· τὸ ἀναμάρτητον καὶ ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας καὶ σῴζειν· καὶ ὅτι πάντα μέν, ὅσα θέλει, δύναται, οὐχ ὅσα δὲ δύναται, θέλει· δύναται γὰρ ἀπολέσαι τὸν κόσμον, οὐ θέλει δέ.

15 Περὶ αἰῶνοσ Αὐτὸς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν, ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων,

πρὸς ὅν φησιν ὁ θεῖος ∆αυίδ· «Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ», καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «∆ι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησε». Χρὴ τοίνυν γινώσκειν, ὅτι τὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ὄνομα πολύσημόν ἐστι, πλεῖστα γὰρ σημαίνει· αἰὼν γὰρ λέγεται καὶ ἡ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωή. Λέγεται πάλιν αἰὼν καὶ ὁ τῶν χιλίων ἐτῶν χρόνος. Πάλιν λέγεται αἰὼν ὅλος ὁ παρὼν βίος, καὶ αἰὼν ὁ μέλλων ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὁ ἀτελεύτητος. Λέγεται πάλιν αἰὼν οὐ χρόνος οὐδὲ χρόνου τι μέρος ἡλίου φορᾷ καὶ δρόμῳ μετρούμενον ἤγουν δι' ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτῶν συνιστάμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον τοῖς ἀιδίοις οἷόν τι χρονικὸν κίνημα καὶ διάστημα· ὅπερ γὰρ τοῖς ὑπὸ χρόνον ὁ χρόνος, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀιδίοις ἐστὶν αἰών. Λέγονται μὲν οὖν ἑπτὰ αἰῶνες τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἤγουν ἀπὸ τῆς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς κτίσεως μέχρι τῆς κοινῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων συντελείας τε καὶ ἀναστάσεως. Ἔστι μὲν γὰρ συντέλεια μερικὴ ὁ ἑκάστου θάνατος· ἔστι δὲ καὶ κοινὴ καὶ παντελὴς συντέλεια, ὅτε μέλλει ἡ κοινὴ γίνεσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνάστασις. Ὄγδοος δὲ αἰὼν ὁ μέλλων. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου συστάσεως, ὅτε οὐδὲ ἥλιος ἦν διαιρῶν ἡμέραν ἀπὸ νυκτός, οὐκ ἦν αἰὼν μετρητός, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον τοῖς ἀιδίοις οἷόν τι χρονικὸν κίνημα καὶ διάστημα· καὶ κατὰ μὲν τοῦτο εἷς αἰών ἐστι, καθὸ καὶ λέγεται ὁ θεὸς αἰώνιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ προαιώνιος. Καὶ αὐτὸν γὰρ τὸν αἰῶνα αὐτὸς ἐποίησε· μόνος γὰρ ἄναρχος ὢν ὁ θεὸς πάντων αὐτός ἐστι ποιητής, τῶν τε αἰώνων καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων. Θεὸν δὲ εἰπὼν δῆλον, ὅτι τὸν πατέρα λέγω καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ υἱόν, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ πανάγιον, τὸν ἕνα θεὸν ἡμῶν. Λέγονται δὲ αἰῶνες αἰώνων, καθότι καὶ οἱ τοῦ παρόντος κόσμου ἑπτὰ αἰῶνες πολλοὺς αἰῶνας ἤγουν ζωὰς ἀνθρώπων περιέχουσι καὶ ὁ αἰὼν ὁ εἷς πάντων τῶν αἰώνων ἐστὶ περιεκτικός. Καὶ αἰὼν αἰῶνος λέγεται ὁ νῦν καὶ ὁ μέλλων. Αἰώνιος δὲ ζωὴ καὶ αἰώνιος κόλασις τὸ ἀτελεύτητον τοῦ μέλλοντος δηλοῖ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἡμέραις καὶ νυξὶν ὁ χρόνος ἀριθμηθήσεται· ἔσται δὲ μᾶλλον μία ἡμέρα ἀνέσπερος τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῖς δικαίοις φαιδρῶς ἐπιλάμποντος, τοῖς δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῖς νὺξ βαθεῖα ἀπέραντος. Πῶς τοίνυν ὁ τῶν χιλίων ἐτῶν τῆς Ὠριγενιαστικῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως ἀριθμηθήσεται χρόνος; Πάντων οὖν τῶν αἰώνων εἷς ποιητής ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ καὶ τὰ σύμπαντα δημιουργήσας, ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων.

16 Περὶ δημιουργίασ Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ὑπεράγαθος θεὸς οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τῇ

ἑαυτοῦ θεωρίᾳ, ἀλλ' ὑπερβολῇ ἀγαθότητος εὐδόκησε γενέσθαι τινὰ τὰ εὐεργετηθησόμενα καὶ μεθέξοντα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος, ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παράγει καὶ δημιουργεῖ τὰ σύμπαντα, ἀόρατά τε καὶ ὁρατά, καὶ τὸν ἐξ ὁρατοῦ καὶ ἀοράτου συγκείμενον ἄνθρωπον. Κτίζει δὲ ἐννοῶν, καὶ τὸ ἐννόημα ἔργον ὑφίσταται λόγῳ συμπληρούμενον καὶ πνεύματι τελειούμενον.

17 Περὶ ἀγγέλων Αὐτὸς τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐστὶ ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ

ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγὼν αὐτούς, κατ' οἰκείαν εἰκόνα κτίσας αὐτοὺς φύσιν